Branded apparel market in India may swell to Rs 250K crore by 2020

Japan’s fashion brand Miniso made its India debut in Delhi. Many other Japanese brands, including their top fashion retailer Uniqlo, are preparing to enter India.Rasul Bailay | ET Bureau | August 22, 2017, 07:09 IST

NEW DELHI: India’s lucrative fashion and lifestyle market that has attracted global bigwigs like Zara and H&M is now enticing top brands from Russia to Brazil to tap the growing market for western fashion products in India.

Turkey’s leading fashion brand Kigili has hired JLL India to scout for a local partner. “We have received a request to find suitable retail partners for this (Kigili) brand and are in the initial stages of the search,” said Pankaj Renjhen, managing director for retail at JLL India.

Koton, the Turkish rival of Kigili, has also been exploring the Indian market for some time, a top executive of a New Delhi mall said.

India’s rapidly growing fashion market has so far been dominated by European and US brands. For example, Poland’s Cool Club to Russia’s leading kidswear label Acoola are talking to mall owners in India to open outlets.

“Now brands from various countries are trying to make a mark in the industry,” said Benu Sehgal, head of retail and marketing at Ambience Group that operates malls in Delhi and Gurgaon.

Last week, Japan’s fast fashion brand Miniso made its India debut at Ambience Mall in Vasant Kunj, Delhi. Many other Japanese brands, including their top fashion retailer Uniqlo, are preparing to enter India, various people familiar with the developments said. Similarly, a host of other brands from the Land of the Rising Sun, including Mark Styler that owns fashion and lifestyle brands such as Mercuryduo, Dazzlin and Emoda, are scouting for local partners, industry sources said.